The following are things I have learned in my time as a freelance writer. Experienced freelance writers know them, however new freelancers will find them useful.

Get Everything in Writing – some clients will start off with a simple little project. The next thing you know the project has ballooned and you are still only getting the initial fee.

• For example: I agreed to prepare a sales page in webpage format for a client. Then the client came back and wanted a Word version of the web sales page. Since I wanted to keep them happy, I complied. Then they came back and wanted a check list check list for Clickbank sales page. Which I provided, then they wanted another additional piece for the project. I finally drew a line in the sand and requested payment, which took 2 weeks to get.

 

Push Back Due Dates - always give yourself the maximum amount of time you can get the client to agree to. You never know what other projects are coming your way or what other problems may occur.

Freelance Writing is Not a Hobby – to be successful you need to treat freelance writing as a business, because it is a business.

• Advertising your services is critical for continued success. Search engine marketing (SEM) of your website and supporting blog is essential to the keeping your name in front of current and potential clients.
• Bookkeeping is important to keeping track of your income, expenses, and taxes.

 

Pay Before Play – complete your paying assignments before you work on projects for yourself. However do work for yourself, so you can point to your own work to future clients.

Half Now & Half Later - ask for half the fee in advance and the other half upon project completion. This avoids not receiving any money for a completed project and gives the client an incentive to continue the project. Occassionally you will run into a client who will not pay after receiving the completed project. You will also run into clients who bend your arm to take a hot project, then it suddenly winds up on the back burner.